Disqualification of Ricciardo: Whiting believes Red Bull stubbornly insisted wrongly
Asked about Daniel Ricciardo's disqualification after the Australian Grand Prix, Charlie Whiting, the race director of the top discipline, stated that Red Bull had several opportunities to avoid being penalized.
The Australian Grand Prix has already been marked by the exclusion of Daniel Ricciardo, who finished 2nd behind Nico Rosberg. The Red Bull RB10 No. 3 consistently exceeded the allowed limit for fuel flow into the engine during the race, set at 100kg/h.
From the start of the investigation launched by the Grand Prix commissioners – even before – the discussions between the FIA and Red Bull crystallized around the famous flow meters approved by the governing body. The Austrian team believed it could rely on its own method of calculating the flow, arguing that the instruments provided by the FIA were not reliable.
However, the FIA had warned the reigning four-time World Champion team about the official value of only the information collected by the homologated flow meter. In this sense, Charlie Whiting explains that everything was done on the commissioners’ side to avoid reaching the situation of a disqualification: « We warned them twice after qualifying and after 5 laps of the race to [take] the necessary measures to comply with the rules. »
Red Bull admitted to deliberately choosing to ignore the race director’s instructions, of which Whiting is the orchestrator: « They chose to use their own calculations to show they respected them. If they had followed the advice we gave them, we would have had no issues and they wouldn’t have been penalized, » he regrets in the columns of The Times. « If their sensor was out of service, then things would have been different. It’s a human matter because they had the ability to do the right thing. »
On its part, Gill Sensors, the company that manufactures these ultrasonic flow meters, issued a statement highlighting the support of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile: Following last weekend’s Australian Grand Prix, the FIA provided Gill Sensors with positive feedback on the performance of the fuel flow meter, confirming their confidence in its development and stating that the sensors met the FIA’s precision specifications.
The British company also emphasizes the strong connection with most teams and the importance of their feedback in product development: « The development of the flow meter includes a comprehensive testing program, which involved liaising with most F1 teams for their valuable feedback regarding the design and functionality of the flow meter. The calibration of the flow meter is managed by a FIA third-party calibration company. »
« The flow meters use ultrasound technology, which was chosen for its adaptability in extreme operating conditions. » Ultrasound also allows for avoiding the use of technology in direct contact with the gasoline flow, which could alter it.
Red Bull has announced its intention to appeal the decision of the stewards « with immediate effect ». The review of this request will not take place for several weeks.
